Artichoke from the horticultural belt of La Plata, Argentina, has been granted a Geographical Indication status under the name "Alcachofas platenses". If allowed to bloom, artichoke flowers are an excellent raw material for vegetable rennet preparation due to their protease content. Proteolysis, the key biochemical event that occurs during cheese ripening, impacts texture, flavour, aroma, and physicochemical parameters. This work aims to study the total free amino acids (FAAs) released during the ripening of mini-cheeses made with artichoke flower extracts as the rennet.
Mini-cheeses were made using an enzymatic extract of C. scolymus flowers (Cs-cheeses) or recombinant chymosin (Q-cheeses, control) and cow's milk, with the addition of CaCl2 and a mesophilic starter. Mini-cheeses were salted, vacuum-packed, and aged at 4 ºC for 1 month. Physicochemical parameters were evaluated. Soluble subfractions were prepared via the precipitation of cheese soluble extracts at pH 4.6 with 70% ethanol (FS70). FAAs were determined and quantified using HILIC on FS70 in a UHPLC coupled to a Quadrupole mass detector.
A higher moisture content and a higher wet matter/dry weight ratio were observed in Cs- cheese compared to the control, possibly due to the greater proteolytic activity of the vegetable rennet. The Cs-cheese FS70 showed higher FAA than the control. Gly, the most abundant amino acid in the Cs-cheese FS70 was not found in Q-cheese FS70. Other amino acids well represented in both FS70 cheeses were essential amino acids Leu and non-essential amino acids Tyr and Ser.
The higher proteolysis observed in Cs-cheese could explain the changes previously reported by us in microstructure, texture, and functional properties. The presence of Gly in Cs-cheese may contribute to its flavour profile, as glycine imparts a sweet taste and can attenuate perceptions of saltiness and bitterness. Using extracts obtained from artichoke flowers that were not harvested due to their visual appearance enabled the production of a semi-hard cheese exhibiting distinctive characteristics.
